Meet the innovators - WINTER 2017, VOL. 11 - Academy Of The Sacred Heart
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DESIGN THINKING IS INTRODUCED AT SACRED HEART • STEERING OUR STRATEGIC COURSE • ALUMNAE NEWS • AND MORE
WINTER 2017, VOL. 11
meet the innovators
Message from the Headmistress
critically about ways to improve social conditions in ways that
address human need—wherever it is found—and to advance
humankind. Each day, our educators employ differentiated
and inquiry-based instruction to engage the critical thinking
of each student. We engage the whole child—mind, heart
and body—and accompany each one on a personal journey
that will last a lifetime.
The outcome of our work at Sacred Heart is the story of
each of our alumnae. The lives of Sacred Heart alumnae
are our testament. In their lives, we see the efficacy of our
spirituality, the value of our goals and the effectiveness of
our educational process. Do we see that these girls do, in
fact, change the world? Yes, we do! Do we see evidence that
their faith moves them to action? Yes, we do! Do we see that
INNOVATION is deeply rooted in the educational their critical consciousness moves them to innovate, improve
praxis of the Academy of the Sacred Heart as a value, as a and advance society? Yes, we do!
Message from the Headmistress................... 1
process and as an outcome.
Meet the Innovators........................................2 Today, St. Madeleine Sophie’s “special sauce” has been
Steering Our Strategic Course......................8 As a value, we spot with ease an appreciation for innovation “tried and true” in over 49 countries of the world, and it has
in the deep convictions of our foundress St. Madeleine passed the litmus test of interculturality and evidence-based
A Big Cup of Business Savvy....................... 10
Sophie Barat. Her inquiry into the deplorable conditions practice in 150 schools worldwide. The capacity to innovate,
Advancing Technology.................................. 12
of French society in her day created in her a restlessness to refresh and to “make new” is a hallmark of our story, a
Travel. Culture. And Croissants................... 14
for something “other,” an alternative to an unacceptable trademark of our 149-year-old presence in New Orleans .
Alumnae Profiles........................................... 16 status quo, and to imagine a new pathway for women and
New Faces at the Rosary............................. 24 We hope that you enjoy this issue of The Bridge, which
their children: the pathway of education. An innovator par
illuminates only a few of the many ways in which we continue
Good Sports................................................... 26 excellence, her passionate faith and critical intellect drove
to innovate at Sacred Heart. I hope that you experience,
Our Milestones.............................................. 30 her to invention and origination—the beginning of a religious
through the wonderful articles of our magazine, the fire
Our Events...................................................... 38 order devoted to education.
of inspiration, the passion of hope and the continued
Our Alumnae.................................................. 44 At Sacred Heart, the process of innovation begins in the excitement of innovation on the Avenue!
2015-16 Annual Report................................ 50 heart—the heart of the educator and the heart of the
student. It begins with an open heart—one that is moved by
care and compassion, by suffering and by love.
Cover photo: Ella Frischhertz ’23, Sofia Rodriguez ’23,
Isabella Bohorquez ’23 and Bryce Couvillion ’24
Touched by the sentiments of Jesus’ heart, Sacred Heart’s Sr. Melanie A. Guste, RSCJ, Ph.D. ’70
collaborate in the new Innovation Lab located in
special educational process engages each student to think Headmistress
the Mother Soniat Library.
Photography by Jackson Hill
THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 1
meet the
BY L I Z M A N T H E Y innovators
For the past two years, several faculty
members have represented Sacred Heart
at workshops, conferences and education
think-tanks focused on the implementation
of Design Thinking in education. While its
principles have been employed in design
firms for decades, its potential impact
in education with regard to 21st century
learning has recently risen to the forefront
of educational research.
What is Design Thinking?
It’s all about the process. Design Thinking
is not a replacement for the innovative teaching that has
been the foundation of Sacred Heart education for years.
It is, in essence, a new layer. Developed by David Kelley of
the Stanford University Hasso Plattner Institute of Design
and IDEO Corporation, the Design Thinking process acts
as a bridge between knowledge and invention. It provides
students with a tool, a system with which they can manage
their thinking. Using this process, students learn to operate
inside complexity, to find their way to simplicity and
innovation as they address real-world issues.
a bridge between knowledge and invention
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The Design Thinking Process How We Apply Design Thinking
Empathy A look within… Armed with this new system, the faculty and administration turned their
It begins with empathy. Students research, conduct attention to the Sacred Heart curriculum and community. With a deep understanding of
interviews, design surveys and observe. “Do we have the needs of our students and our school, they asked:
a deep understanding of the needs of the user?” How might we…? Use the Design Thinking process to ignite collaboration and innovation
in our school community.
Definition
Empathy is followed by definition. Students What if we…? Create design spaces where teachers and students across disciplines and
synthesize their findings and begin to define their divisions can incubate ideas using the Design Thinking process.
focus. “How might we… focus on this particular need Teach students the Design Thinking process to help them create impactful solutions to
or address the user’s needs as a whole?” complex global and environmental challenges.
Ideation Design collaborative, cross-curricular opportunities for students to experiment with
In the ideation stage, students exercise divergent solutions to real-world problems—to innovate for a purpose.
thinking and build on the ideas of others, adding Use our collective imagination to promote active thinking and making.
as many ideas as possible to Post-It notes and
Create systems and spaces for individual mentoring opportunities that support student-
courageously pushing the boundaries of predictable
initiated projects and ideas.
thinking. It is about quantity over quality, courage
over perfection. During this process, unpredictable Build makerspaces where teachers and students can test assumptions and build
yet possible solutions begin to rise to the surface. prototypes used to validate ideas—a place to test, share, question and build STEAM
“What if we…” related inventions.
Prototype and Test Design safe-spaces where feedback and re-design are embedded into the curriculum.
Perhaps most applicable to the 21st century learning
skillset is the prototype stage. Students design and
build low-tech solutions and then participate in
feedback sessions embedded in growth-mindset
language. As students present their ideas to
colleagues, they are encouraged to enhance their
solution-centered designs. The learned technique
of both giving and receiving feedback creates an
environment in which students are empowered to
fail forward—to re-think, re-adjust and re-imagine.
Students test their final solutions by sharing them
with the learning community and possibly the
intended user.
“I like…” “I wish there was a way to…” “What if…”
unpredictable yet possible solutions start to emerge
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Welcome to the Year of the Prototype Feedback
Cooper Hewitt Design Fair
Kitty Mattesky, Innovation Lab Coordinator, shares her feedback
on what is going well and how Sacred Heart can further develop In May, Sacred Heart collaborated with
the Design Thinking program in the future. the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design
Little Hearts Creation Stations
“I like…” Museum to bring Design Thinking to the
Each Little Hearts classroom is equipped with materials that allow children school and community by hosting a design
to engage, create, problem solve and take risks. Students are given the The 100% student engagement in every single challenge.
fair on Sacred Heart’s campus. More than
opportunity to learn about new materials and combine them in innovative The courage and confidence displayed in a student as she writes 200 students and teachers from local
ways. This challenges students to discover, build and experience the her own idea on a Post-It, says it aloud and adds it to the mix of schools presented design solutions to
thinking.
techniques of engineers, contractors and artists. school and community challenges, met
A (more) relaxed, confident student approach to complexity.
local designers, discovered local design
Each student’s absolute thirst for BUILDING the prototype. resources and engaged in design activities.
The beautiful, growing comfort within the feedback cycle.
Lower School Makerspace Conferences Faculty Members Attended:
“I wish there was a way to…”
The Lower School Makerspace is located in an extension Fast 48 – Design Thinking Bootcamp,
Spend more time in the empathy stage.
to the science lab. Students in kindergarten through fourth Tulane University
What if we regroup and ask for student feedback to design
grade have access to and participate in various activities ways to make this happen? Schools 4.0 Essentials Program and School
and challenges that are built into the science curriculum.
Have better materials to use in the building of the prototype. 4.0 Summit, New Orleans, LA
Third and fourth grade students are given the opportunity
What if we make a list of things parents might have around
to participate in the after-school program “Imagineers.” Startup Weekend Education
the house and ask them to donate?
In addition to wood, paper products, art supplies, wiring, (SWEDU), Loyola University Center for
Design more opportunities for Upper School students to use the
electric circuit materials, styrofoam, Legos and a variety Entrepreneurship
Innovation Lab for invention.
of other materials, the Makerspace is equipped with the
What if we design curriculum that connects with another Faculty Professional development, IDIYA,
Rigamajig building system. With the new location of the Sacred Heart school to solve a global issue?
New Orleans, LA
Tech Café across from the Makerspace, teachers provide
students with cross-curricular opportunities for innovation This is the beginning of something great.
and design.
Middle and Upper School
Innovation Lab and Makerspace
Located in the newly designed space in the Mother Soniat
Library, the Middle and Upper School Innovation Lab and
Makerspace hosts Middle School students for regularly
scheduled classes. Kitty Mattesky, the Innovation Lab
Coordinator, presents students with Design Thinking
challenges that parallel the curriculum and contain real- opportunities to discover, build and innovate
world applications. Mrs. Mattesky has begun to work with
Middle and Upper School faculty to create collaborative,
cross-curricular challenges that provide students
opportunities to design and prototype solutions. In
addition, individual students are empowered to utilize the
Innovation Lab and the Design Thinking process to create
ways to take action, make connections and prototype
solutions to issues about which they are most passionate.
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“We are then the discoverers of our own lives. Our world is new every day. Either
we are sailing towards new shores, daring mariners in search of the unknown and day by day the
horizon dips lower and our stars rise higher, or we are explorers by land, and new wonders reveal
themselves on each day’s march.” -Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, former Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart
S TEERING
ur course
BY S R . M EL A NIE A . GUS TE , RSC J, PH . D. ’ 70
HEADMISTRESS
At the beginning of the school year, our school community committee worked under the steadfast leadership of board for our students; deepening the integration of STREAM Placing our school and its plans in the service of our
set our course toward new shores. With our theme framed member Patrick Hammet, who navigated us through many (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math)
educational mission to “make known the love of the
meetings to gather data and assess and analyze all aspects of across the curriculum and in co-curricular programs; creating a
by the words of Mother Stuart, “Our world is new every
our school's current reality and the implications for its future. distinct, multidisciplinary “learning commons” to leverage the Heart of Jesus,” we move forward with courage and
day,” we became explorers and mariners in search of the
After reviewing input from multiple data sources and key global footprint of the 150 Sacred Heart schools and their other confidence, inspired by God’s promise in the words
unknown. Under the guidance of the stars, we opened
constituency groups, both internally and externally, the board educational programs; and cultivating strategic partnerships
our hearts, minds and spirits to new wonders revealing approved the plan as our prior strategic plan sunsets. with key sectors in our community that inspire leadership,
of Jeremiah, the prophet: "For I know the plans I
themselves each day. Now, in the beginning of this new service, discovery and diversity engagement. This issue of have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper
year, our school sails onto new shores announcing the VISION AND GOAL S The Bridge magazine focuses its articles on several of these
you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
completion of our school’s long-range plan for its future, Our strategic vision is elegantly captured in three goals: key strategies, particularly along the theme of innovation and
excellence in learning. a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
“Inspiring Faith-filled Women of Courage and Confidence.” • Goal One: Enhance Academic Rigor and Innovation
• Goal Two: Leverage, Expand and Create Global and
Local Connections Daring mariners, our Board of Trustees has charted an
B AC KG R O U N D adventuresome, yet steady, course for the future of Sacred
• Goal Three: Embed Strategic Sustainability Throughout
Recognizing its primary role as strategic leadership, the Board
Our School Heart. Like good plans, it is a nimble one, flexible in its
of Trustees launched a comprehensive strategic planning
process in 2015-2016. It convened a top-level Strategic Planning
design and clear in its direction. It will galvanize our efforts
Underlying these goals are ambitious strategies which set the and allow us to steer rather than drift aimlessly. It will anchor
Committee consisting of board members, administrators,
direction for transformational growth at Sacred Heart. These
alumnae and community leaders representing key sectors of our decisions around the use of resources.
strategies include developing state-of-the-art learning spaces
society to widen the scope of its explorations. At the helm, the
8 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 9
good credit. The course also taught us about savings, began the semester by learning about the basic running
specifically how simple financial habits can help us achieve of a PJ’s franchise, from the recipes to the day-to-day work
a savings goal. We learned about the inputs to decisions that comes with managing a business. We were taught how
about buying versus renting, insurance, taxes, investments to successfully keep track of money through balancing
and even the inner workings of the U.S. banking system and the cash box after each shift, how to best organize items
A BIG the Federal Reserve. within a business for better efficiency, and how important
it is to keep track of inventory. Working shifts throughout
OF BUSINESS SAVVY
In our second online course on entrepreneurship, we were
the school year gives us real life experience when dealing
led on an entrepreneurial expedition, involving starting
with products as well as customers. We have become
our own food truck business. This interactive learning
By Destiny Stafford ’17 knowledgeable on licenses, permits and leases. In addition
experience taught us about the many factors that are
to Mrs. Miller’s instruction, we have benefited from the
This school year, seven seniors at Sacred Heart are lucky involved when starting a business, walking us through the
guidance of guest speakers who are helping us build our
enough to participate in an interactive and educational key variables to consider. We established a business plan
business plans, which will include all of the details of every
course about financial concepts and entrepreneurship. The that involved the name and location of our business, the
legal document and financial concept needed to start a
course is titled “Financial Literacy,” and it is taught by PJ’s population we would be targeting, an evaluation of our
business. This course has allowed us to be able to plan more
Coffee on Magazine owner Aubry Miller. While the majority competitors, as well as an income statement. We also chose
accordingly for our futures by putting into perspective the
of class participants do not anticipate majoring in business, a starting team of employees who would help the business
importance of budgeting money and the best ways to do so.
we are learning that regardless of our career path, to grow as well as any additional services that made our
“everyone is in business.” business unique. Another aspect to this entrepreneurial Sacred Heart is breaking boundaries and creating new
experience involved choosing our own role in the venture, opportunities for applied learning that will ease the
We began by taking two online prerequisite courses over the
whether it was the manager or maybe even the cook. We transition to the job market and make our graduates
summer sponsored by Iberia Bank. In our first online course
also thought about an effective promotional strategy for more appealing to future employers. My fellow seniors
on personal financial literacy, we learned about a variety
how we would get the word out about our business. and I now have a solid foundation in both personal and
of finance concepts. We learned about the differences
business finances, which can often be a stumbling block to
between debit and credit cards and how paying or not In the classroom at Sacred Heart, we are learning
young entrepreneurs. Sacred Heart is helping its students
paying these debts influences your personal credit score. everything from writing a lease to business financials.
become not only college-ready but also ready for the
The course demonstrated the importance of a good credit Throughout the year, we are also given the opportunity to
tough job market that awaits them. These types of applied
score, especially when buying a house, purchasing a car or work each morning at the small franchise of the popular PJ’s
learning courses stand out to future employers.
even getting a job. Now is the time to start establishing chain that opened on Sacred Heart’s campus last year. We
Iberia Bank Financial Scholars
Iberia Bank representatives presented certificates to
students upon completion of the Financial Scholars online
program powered by EverFi as a prerequisite to the
Financial Literacy course.
Photographed are Anne Kock, Margaret Saer Beer ’76, Sarah
Schuler ’17, Elle Wenzel ’17, Madison Keller ’17, Carley Bohn ’17,
Destiny Stafford ’17, Isabel Yarborough ’17, Meghan Donelon
’04 and Aubry Miller.
10 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 11
Advancing
Technology
Sacred Heart’s new Tech Café opened for business this
< >
fall for prekindergarten through fourth grade students
with a totally redesigned space that mimics a real coffee shop.
Students played a key role in helping design the space, which was
planned by Allison Looper of Blitch/Knevel Designs. “It’s a space
for them,” says teacher Lynette Moody. “It’s all about them having
a comfortable environment to get those creative juices flowing.”
The new Tech Café features kid-sized modular sofas, ottomans, an
industrial style laptop bar and stools, four group work tables with
colorful chairs, a bright red coffee table and movable bobble
stools. Carpeted with a computer code style design, the
space also includes a large projection screen, a green
screen for movie making, a huge flat screen TV
monitor and an entire wall which works as a
whiteboard and can be written on
during class.
12 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 13
Bread is the hallmark image of food. “This summer will surely have a distinct
je ne sais quoi,” I said to my dad prior to
font of the small signs that read “Croissant: 5
Euro.” In Joigny, we lodged at St. Madeleine
Our Sacred Hearts dwell within the
benevolent Sacred Heart of Jesus, who is
Upon Google searching “food,” the first image my departure, unpretentiously testing out Sophie Barat’s house. The second night of our Bread of Life. Each day He strengthens
that pops up depicts a varied assortment of the vernacular of my intended destination. our stay, my roommates and I were snacking us, enabling us to take on the journeys we
doughnuts, cookies and hamburgers. Upon Grocery shopping for a family dinner, I on miniature gaufres, when reports of the have set before ourselves. This holy bread
Google searching the food pyramid, bread additionally quipped, “When I’m in France, terror attack in Nice flooded our phones. instilled in St. Madeleine Sophie Barat the
is the base, the touchstone foundation of I’ll get real baguettes and real croissants.” Having spent the afternoon on a wheat field steadfast wisdom to found the Society of
humanity’s universal diet. Discovered by hunter Upon arriving in the Charles de and vineyard overlooking Sophie’s village the Sacred Heart. This bread sustained St.
Gaulle airport after a long day of travel, earlier that day, we went into Sophie’s old Rose Philippine Duchesne throughout the
gatherers some 30,000 years ago and formally
Sacred Heart students and teachers, bedroom across the hall to pray for the rest course of her journey to the New World
domesticated as wheat and barley approximately
hailing from places among the likes of of the night, silently echoing the sentiments as she established the first Sacred Heart
10,000 years ago, it is a culinary staple that San Francisco, Italy, Chicago, Columbia, of Miguel de Cervantes, “all sorrows are less school in America. This bread ignited
has permeated cultures and sustained people Houston, Germany, Miami, Japan, Detroit, with bread.” the flames of her ethereal spirit, making
throughout the test of time. Bread is the France, New Jersey, Mexico, and I from The etymology of the word “baguette,” her Quahkahkanumad, the “Woman who
quintessential depiction of nourishment, even in New Orleans, sat down to eat baguette a titular nomenclature that the French did not Prays Always.” This bread rejuvenated the
its scarcest quantities. sandwiches. Thus was the commencement ascribe to their signature loaf until the 1920s, artistic imagination within Pauline Perdrau,
Sorry boys, but bread was my first love. of Faces of the Heart, as we were all united stems from the Latin baculum, meaning, staff allowing her to paint Mater Admirabilis.
A romance for the ages: love is patient, love is and “full” in our commitment to build or stick, indicative of power. As people of God provides bread as an
kind, love is one croissant at a time. Though we a community, much like those in our faith, we willfully open ourselves to receive
have received my parents’ blessing, dichotomous respective homes, as a Christian value. God’s powerful guidance. We come together
extension of Himself to nourish
is our relationship, my dear bread; one day, At Faces of the Heart, our days were long, to break bread in honor of Jesus Christ, for us physically and spiritually.
but our nights were even longer. I found he truly is our “one bread, one body, one Marcel Proust, storied French novelist
thou art my Prince Charming of my delectable
myself staying up past midnight conversing
desires, another day my Prince Kryptonite of Lord of all.” In the Our Father, we ask God once said, “Mystery is not about traveling
with my new-found friends about how we to new places but about looking with new
my doomed diet. Bread has always served as the to “give us this day, our daily bread.” We rely
couldn’t wait for what another tomorrow eyes.” In a foreign place, I was comforted
rising catalyst of unification amongst those who on God with a humble dependence as God is
could bring, especially the overflowing baskets and enlightened by a common food. In
mean the most to me. the baker and producer of our days. This day
of the illustrious carbohydrate that would be France, God bestowed upon me fourteen
In school, I learn about the world; in the available for our joyous consumption in a few and each and every day is our daily bread,
summer, the world is mine to live in. During in which God unwaveringly gives Himself days as my daily bread to serve as a modern-
hours. Bread was always there for us. When day face of Sacred Heart schools worldwide,
the school year, class to class, assignment to visiting a safe haven for Middle Eastern unto us. Each day is another slice of life, an
assignment, I justify eating bread as the panacea opportunity for us to dwell amongst the rest a blessing in which I wholeheartedly
refugees in Nantes, there was bread on the partook, as part of the everlasting fulfillment
to the subtle grumblings from my stomach. table. Another day, we traveled to a market of His blessed Creation.
During the summer, city to city, conference to Sacred Heart, a name ubiquitously of the partakings of those before me, “for the
where none of the food was pre-packaged; sake of one child.”
conference, eating bread, to me, is representative thus, out there in the open for humans, emblazoned on our shirts and on our
of a dualistic affirmation of sorts, a nod to the bugs, bacteria and the like but nonetheless buildings is truly a dynamic name to behold.
culture I am experiencing. This past summer, I out there as an open and willing source The epitome of a Sacred Heart education
participated in the inaugural Faces of the Heart, of nourishment to those who inhabit this is the symbiotic coalescence of the mind
an international Sacred Heart youth program great world. Walking through the streets of and the heart. A child of the Sacred Heart
in France where students from Sacred Heart Paris, I found myself wooed by the quaint is as wholesome as whole wheat. Our hearts
schools around the world gather to deepen their boulangeries effaced with crown molding, humanize our minds, and our minds
knowledge of Sacred Heart heritage and engage the intricacy of the basket weaving encasing thereafter are cognizant of the
By Hunter Major ’17 in various cultural and service activities. the bread and the entrancingly calligraphic pure sacredness of our hearts.
Travel. Culture. And Croissants.
14 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 15
and budget. This included everything from a photo shoot, to
creative, to copy, to production.
“Wear Sacred Heart on your
Rebecca recently learned of a new opportunity through
a former colleague, this time at Anthropologie as Director
sleeve…It is truly a special bond,
1994
of Creative Operations. She moved from New York to
Rebecca McAlear ’94 Philadelphia in September and wasted no time settling in. In
only we get to experience, and for
By Caroline Avegno ’04 her new role, Rebecca drives the brand’s mission through all
integrated creative and brand activities. This means developing
this we are blessed.”
a yearly brand strategy and creative tactics to increase brand
awareness and ultimately sales, as well as overseeing the “She is so smart, she has kept me grounded, and she has given
development and execution of print, digital and social media me better advice than most adults.” Rebecca also serves as a
campaigns. “I’m very lucky to be part of a team that is really professional mentor in any way she can. She makes time to
A Well-Rounded Foundation. committed to moving the brand forward,” Rebecca says. “I meet with students from her alma mater Villanova University
like being the business mind in a creative setting. My job is to when they reach out to her for career networking, and she goes
keep the brand on track and ensure everything is cohesive, by out of her way to respond to correspondence she receives via
A Strategy for Success. putting myself in the customer’s shoes. I make sure everything LinkedIn. “So many people have helped me throughout my
is on time, on budget and meets the strategy.” Her role is vital career that I love to help other people,” she says.
in that she not only ensures the execution of plans, but she must Rebecca maintains close ties to her Sacred Heart roots. She
R ebecca McAlear ’94, who currently works at Anthropologie as Director of
Creative Operations, firmly believes that everything happens for a reason and that
satisfy senior management, marketing and merchandising as immediately found a connection during her first weeks as a
well. “A good account and operations manager assesses the student at Villanova when she befriended a student who had
needs of a business, not the wants,” she adds. “It’s a constant attended Bloomfield Hills in Michigan. She regularly attended
she is exactly where she is meant to be. Her career path has been one of many struggle to balance the two.” events in New York at Convent of the Sacred Heart (91st
twists and turns led by her faith, strength, hard work and perseverance—all things Maintaining balance is something Rebecca does not only Street). When she moved to Philadelphia, she immediately
instilled in her through her Sacred Heart experience. at work but in all aspects of her life as well. “You don’t want discovered that she works alongside two Sacred Heart sisters,
Rebecca fell in love with the advertising world while working on the Popeyes one thing to be your whole identity,” she stresses. “The idea of one from Stone Ridge and one from Bryn Mawr.
Chicken & Biscuits account as an intern at Peter Mayer Advertising in New being well rounded is driven home in high school, and it holds This past spring, Rebecca returned home to the Rosary to
Orleans. From there, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she secured her first true through adulthood. You want to be multifaceted. Being a address the Class of 2016 at their Baccalaureate Mass. “Wear
paying job at a small Virginia based agency as an Account Executive, working good person is a job in itself.” Sacred Heart on your sleeve,” she told the graduating seniors.
on TV, radio and print ad campaigns. She spent the next five years there. “Those Rebecca strongly believes in the importance of giving back “You will be surrounded by your Sacred Heart sisters when you
years served as my professional foundation for everything I’ve done since,” says when and where she can, something that was instilled in her least expect it. It is a connection that not many have. Embrace
Rebecca. “It’s where I learned how to handle clients with a mix of persistence and through her Sacred Heart education. She recalls wonderful it, be proud of it, use it, and do not take it for granted… It is
professionalism, and that agency is where I was taught the right mix of mediums to experiences both as a peer support leader and as a volunteer truly a special bond, only we get to experience, and for this we
create a successful ad campaign.” at Magnolia School, where she completed her service hours. are blessed.”
Rebecca’s next move was to widen her experience. She spent the next few years While she was in New York, she proudly served as a mentor Upon reflecting on her career path, Rebecca says, “Sacred
at a boutique branding agency where she kept a more diverse client portfolio and through the Catholic Big Sisters Big Brothers program to Heart taught us that we are strong, independent women who
gained experience in brand development. Ultimately though, Rebecca yearned to a 16-year-old girl from the Bronx named Maci. “The most can do anything. I still believe that and live that. I can do
work for a top five agency on a global scale, so after spending nine years in D.C., ironic part about our relationship is that she has given back anything; it’s just a matter of how I get there.”
she decided to take a big leap and move to New York. Rebecca’s confidence, faith to me more than I have given back to her,” Rebecca shares.
and perseverance kept her going as she logged hours of searching on her computer
and attended countless networking events. “I heard the word ‘no’—a LOT,” she
recounts. “I was told I didn’t have the ‘big agency’ experience I was looking to get. It
took a lot more effort for me to push past the ‘no’s’ and figure out how to get a ‘yes.’”
Rebecca’s “yes” came from prestigious Ogilvy and Mather, one of the top five ad
agencies in the world. Her next two years there “felt like four,” but her hard work
paid off. She gained the big agency experience she needed and was poised to steer
her career in the next direction she chose, and what she chose was to transition to
the client side and landed a position at Ralph Lauren as Senior Director of Global
Advertising for the Polo brand.
In this role, Rebecca spent a lot of her time collaborating and connecting as
she drove the advertising process from conception to completion. She worked with
the marketing team on objectives and campaign tactics each season and enabled
them to be executed and supported from a business standpoint, meeting the strategy Rebecca with the Class of 2016 at Baccalaureate Mass
16 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 17regulation, a shift in global economy? Our governance structures and
corporate policies must evolve to stay relevant and competitive. Even
though I am a finance professional, I work with and learn from a wide
range of professionals, including lawyers, engineers, economists, field
1997
operators, auditors and IT experts.”
Kay Manthey ’97 Kay’s volunteering started at Sacred Heart and continued through
By Marion D. Ramsey college. Today, she serves as a mentor for a young Dutch company
called Chordify, which has developed a system to convert any piece
of music into a chord scheme that helps people learn to play music.
“The mentoring relationship is mutually beneficial, enriching and fun!”
Kay explains. “I act as a sounding board and mentor for the company.
In turn, the founders broaden my perspective and ask questions that
can challenge conventional wisdom or status quo.” Kay sees this as an
opportunity to pay it forward for the value that her mentors and coaches
Working for a Greater Purpose have provided over the years.
Thinking back on her time at Sacred Heart, Kay sees value in not
only the rigorous academics, but the community service, leadership
opportunities, diverse extracurricular activities and the mission of Sacred Heart Kay has had many opportunities to
K ay Manthey ’97 lives in the Netherlands, holds a senior finance position
with Royal Dutch Shell, volunteers in Shell’s mentor program and is a loyal and
education communicated through the Goals and Criteria. She credits the Rosary and
her family for helping to make her who she is today. The Sacred Heart environment
travel while living overseas. She visited
the Sacred Heart school in Vienna,
made her feel comfortable trying new and challenging things, and she wants to help Austria, with her mother Liz and
generous donor to Sacred Heart. She cites her education at Sacred Heart as the
give this type of education to more young women so that they can follow their dreams. Sr. Hanni Woitsch, RSCJ.
foundation for how she balances a demanding career with making time for service
“When you think about St. Madeleine Sophie Barat and St. Philippine Duchesne
and a personal life.
and their mission to educate women in the 1800s, they were so ahead of their time,”
Kay started with Shell as a summer intern while she was a student at Louisiana
Kay reflects. She is grateful for the foresight that these pioneering founders had and
State University. After graduating with a degree in finance, she began working at
the courage it took for them to pursue a radical idea—access to education for all,
Shell’s New Orleans office as a finance analyst, volunteering in civic organizations
particularly women.
and serving on Sacred Heart’s Alumnae Board as treasurer. While holding her New
Kay sees a unique value and perspective that women
Orleans heritage at the forefront, she has not looked back. After Hurricane Katrina,
bring to the workplace and the world stage. High quality “I am grateful for the education that
she moved to Houston, then Denver, back to Houston and is now residing in the
education is needed to prime young women for leadership
Netherlands and working at Shell’s headquarters in The Hague. She sees herself
roles and provide them with the skills to take them on. my parents, the school and its educators
as being part of a company that is working to meet the future energy demands of
“Women are needed in these roles in not just our companies
the planet in a sustainable way. Her past fifteen years have been both challenging
and board rooms, but also in governments and throughout gave me. I see my donations as
and exciting, with each move being more complex and demanding. When asked
our communities,” she says. “Sacred Heart provided that
what drives her, she replies, “Each position has given me an opportunity to contribute
environment for me, and that is why I donate to annual contributing early in the cycle of
in a larger way, to make a deeper impact through the teams I lead and to keep
giving. I am grateful for the education that my parents,
growing personally.”
the school and its educators gave me. I see it as contributingfostering women’s education.”
In her current position, Kay oversees the Risk Management and Control
early in the cycle of fostering women’s education.”
Framework at Shell that supports its global governance standards and how the
Whether in her professional role or through her other leadership roles, Kay has
company manages and mitigates risks. “While we frequently think of innovation
consistently taken on new challenges that stretch her capabilities. She believes in the
coming from the science or engineering sectors, we need innovation and collaboration
importance and bravery in taking a risk. “I have learned the most when I have pushed
in every discipline,” Kay says. “Risks change constantly. We need to be thinking
beyond my comfort zone either personally or professionally,” she says. “Sometimes it
about what’s coming next. Is it a new technology, a nimble competitor, a new
has been difficult, and I have felt very challenged. That’s why you need a strong support
system.” Kay’s support system is comprised of professional mentors and colleagues, the
foundation of a strong education, family, friends and her faith.
For Kay, her Sacred Heart education gave her the tools, drive and constant support
early on that equipped her for success academically, professionally and in her community.
The environment also taught her that if you have a gift, you have to use it and then also
Kay chats with give back. Kay sees her contributions as helping future graduates who will be equipped
Gijs Bekenkamp from to bring the balance and perspective needed across societies. “This girl changes the
Chordify, where she world, right? I want to help those girls change the world.”
serves as a mentor.
18 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 19Inherent to its digital nature, the volume and pace of Romper
is massive. In her role as managing editor, Margaret oversees
the site’s editing team, who in turn supervise the hundreds of
articles that the website produces on a weekly basis. Margaret
describes her typical day in the office as staying on top of the
2000
Margaret Johnson ’00 news—the site offers 24/7 news and entertainment coverage
By Hannagan Johnson ’04 because “women with kids are interested in more than their
kids”—as well as editing and strategizing with her team to
ensure the site’s continued forward outlook and broad appeal
to an extensive readership of mothers. And though it demands
always having an eye on both media trends and parenting
issues, Margaret’s role, at its core, ultimately revolves around
Creating a Vital Digital Platform the art of writing.
As far back as I can remember, Margaret has had a deep
love of writing, a passion that was first nurtured and developed
for Millennial Moms at Sacred Heart, then Princeton University, and finally at
NYU’s Cultural Reporting and Criticism master’s program.
“I always felt just as prepared a writer as anyone else while
W hile a sixth grade student in Mrs. Mattesky’s grammar class, Margaret Johnson
’00 experienced what was something of a seminal moment for her eventual career
at Princeton and in my master’s program,” Margaret shares.
“Sacred Heart put me on the same footing as graduates from
Exeter, Harvard-Westlake, Thomas Jefferson in D.C. and any
in journalism. “Mrs. Mattesky reserved a section of the white board for displaying other top high school anywhere in the country.”
exemplary pieces of student writing,” Margaret recalls. Those of us who have had Her current position demands constant innovation as
the privilege to be students of Mrs. Mattesky may recollect how we were frequently well as a deep commitment to the idea that women’s stories
assigned the ambitious task of producing a piece of writing that mirrored the style of matter, and Margaret attributes both to the influence of our
the authors we were reading. Margaret remembers presenting her essay, attempting Sacred Heart teachers. “Our educators were willing to take
to emulate the style of Irene Hunt’s Up a Road Slowly, with great anxiety because risks and constantly demonstrated such a genuine passion
she so desperately wanted her writing to be selected for display. Margaret laughs as for what we were learning,” she recalls. “It was through that
she fondly recalls Mrs. Mattesky reading her essay, staring at her for a moment and passion that I came to understand the power and beauty of
stating in her loving but uniquely matter-of-fact way, “Margaret, one day you are language, especially, and the way narrative helps us access the
going to be up on that board. Today is not that day.” extraordinary in our otherwise ordinary lives.”
Though she may have been disappointed at that moment, Margaret considers Top: Margaret with her Bustle
And there is yet another significant way in which our Sacred
the unconditional standards of excellence that Mrs. Mattesky and the rest of our ex- colleagues at a holiday party
Heart experience continues to influence Margaret’s daily life.
traordinary educators held us to throughout our years at Sacred Heart to be hugely Working in such a fast-paced field as digital journalism can Above: Margaret (right) with her sister
influential in her career, which has a lot to do with recognizing and elevating great perhaps explain a recurring nightmare Margaret has anytime Hannagan ’04 at Prize Day in 2004.
writing by women. After serving as a women’s editor for two years at the Huffington a major deadline approaches. “I’m not kidding, this is the Both sisters were named salutatorian of
Post and then as the managing editor of Bustle, the now-ubiquitous site for young nightmare: I’m walking through the front gates, it’s September their respective Sacred Heart classes.
women, Margaret launched Bustle’s sister site Romper, a website whose aim is to 25th, and I suddenly realize I haven’t picked my oratory piece.”
appeal to millennials with kids by covering the latest news and trends in a way that No matter where life takes us, our Sacred Heart education
celebrates the reality of motherhood rather than the various fictions we’ve developed never leaves us.
around it. As Margaret describes Romper, “It’s general interest, but its goal is to
appeal to a broad spectrum of young women with kids. That means thinking as
inclusively as possible. Attention to diversity is paramount.” “Our educators were willing to take risks and constantly demonstrated
This generation of young families looks very different from any previous, not just
racially but also in terms of composition: there are more single-parent families, more such a genuine passion for what we were learning. It was through that
racially mixed families, more families with two mothers or two fathers. Margaret
says that Romper’s goal is to reach and represent all of those different permutations passion that I came to understand the power and beauty of language,
of young family, all of those different ways of building a life. It’s the type of site that,
prior to Romper’s inception, didn’t really exist. As Margaret shared with the New especially, and the way narrative helps us access the extraordinary in
Yorker around the time of Romper’s launch in November of 2015, “The media talks
about millennials as if they are kids, and actually, they are having kids.” our otherwise ordinary lives.”
20 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 21“At Sacred Heart, smart women are the norm. High expectations
for women are the norm. So I went to college with that mindset,
and that helped me do well there.”
2007
Lucy Boyd ’07
By Lisette Bayle ’83
as a former public school teacher, she is very interested in that she could understand the issue better. At Harvard, she
education reform, so she researched and interviewed people took more classes than she needed, built relationships with
about Hillary Clinton’s education platform. She wanted to professors, wrote extensively and took on additional research
know how representative the speakers at each convention positions. This helped her see the impact of journalism on
were, so she did the research, wrote the piece, and pitched it to policy and lament the lack of good journalists talking about
Learning and Writing CBS News.com where it was published. Having learned data
analysis skills in graduate school using statistics programs like
STATA, she asked to analyze voter data for the CBS News
education reform and nuanced policy issues, so she joined
the Shorenstein Center. That is where she met Bob Schieffer,
which led her to CBS and a new platform to write and produce
About Issues that Matter election’s team.
Of her many accomplishments in life thus far, Lucy is most
proud of her years of teaching at an inner-city school in Newark,
stories that matter to her.
Since the election, Lucy has accepted a job at CBS that
combines her interests of journalism, education and policy
L ucy Boyd ’07 has always enjoyed writing and always respected and appreciated
good journalism. She majored in English at the University of Virginia and taught
her master’s thesis on education policy in Massachusetts and
the op-eds she has published on education reform. While she
was teaching, her students scored in the 90th percentile in
analysis. She is working on one of the production teams for
60 Minutes, where she has the opportunity to pitch her own
stories and produce pieces that are investigative in nature.
seventh grade English for three years in Newark, NJ, after graduating from college. reading and writing as compared to their district neighbors The long-form, research-based and thoughtful approach of 60
She attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where she was offered who scored in the 30th percentile. Her master’s thesis is Minutes stories is what attracted her to this opportunity. “I
a research position at the Shorenstein Center for Media and Politics with Jackie being used by the Massachusetts Department of Education truly believe we need more people thinking and discussing
Calmes from the New York Times. She loved this experience so much that she to improve low performing schools serving low income and education reform and social policies as it directly relates to
interviewed and was chosen for another research position her second year, this time minority students. Her op-ed pieces have been cited in other inequality. A show like 60 Minutes is an ideal place to start
with renowned CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer. Impressed with her skills and articles by activist groups and members of local governments some of those conversations,” she says. Currently, Lucy is
work ethic, Schieffer asked Lucy to join him on the presidential campaign trail, an involved in education reform. working on a piece about violence and policing in Chicago,
incredible opportunity for her to travel and get to think and write about issues she Lucy says that Sacred Heart played a pivotal role in her one on fake news and media literacy, and two on charter
was interested in along the way. upbringing. “Not only did I receive an exceptional education, schools. She is most excited though about the two education
As a Political Analyst and Associate Producer for Bob Schieffer for the 2016 but I was surrounded by smart women and provided with stories, as that is a topic closest to her heart.
presidential campaign, Lucy researched and wrote memos on specific policy issues, leadership opportunities I don’t think I would have gotten
wrote scripts for Schieffer’s on-air appearances, helped prepare Schieffer for special elsewhere,” she says. “At Sacred Heart, smart women are the
events like the Republican and Democratic conventions and other related duties. norm. High expectations for women are the norm. So I went
Throughout this time, Lucy produced and wrote Schieffer’s “About the News” to college with that mindset, and that helped me do well
podcast in which Schieffer interviews major players in journalism on the changing there.” Lucy also credits Sacred Heart’s English Department, Face the Nation production team
Left: Lucy and Bob Schieffer at the Democratic landscape of journalism in politics—a task she continues even after the election. specifically Mr. Sam Brandao and Mr. Michael Deschamp, preparing for the St. Louis Debate at
National Convention in Philadelphia, PA. Lucy also covered some political events herself and wrote pieces for CBS News online. with helping develop her love of and skill for writing. “They Washington University in St. Louis
Right: Election Night coverage with Bob Lucy says her favorite thing about the job was that she had a lot of freedom to taught me to craft arguments, weave evidence together, use
Schieffer in front of the CBS Electoral Map take initiative to produce, research and write on issues of interest to her. For instance, rhetorical devices and use words and syntax purposefully.
This has had a profound impact not only on my writing but
on my critical thinking skills as well,” she adds.
The best advice Lucy has to offer at this point in her career
is this: “Do whatever you are doing in that moment really,
really well because once you do, it opens your eyes to bigger
things you never understood before.” Lucy did well at UVA,
which led to her to acceptance into Teach for America. She
worked very hard to get her students on a seventh grade reading
level (some of whom came to her on a first grade reading level).
This opened her eyes to the oppressive failure of our public
school system especially for children of color, which led her
to get a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard so
22 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 23NewFaces at theRosary NewFaces at theRosary
NEAL J. KLING ANNEMARIE MARTIN COLLURA
A New Role: Board Chair Director of Annual Giving and Special Events
Neal Kling is a member of the law firm of Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, AnneMarie Martin Collura came to Sacred Heart in August from Tulane University, where
L.L.C. His primary practice areas include Finance and Commercial Law. He is an Adjunct she served as a Program Coordinator in the Office of Student Conduct since 2014. She
Professor of Law at Tulane Law School and is active in many bar and professional groups. earned her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in
He currently serves as Chair of the Commercial Finance Committee of the American Bar Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University. AnneMarie has held numerous
Association Section of Business Law and has been elected to the Section’s Council. Neal leadership roles through her active service and involvement with the local Tri Delta Sorority
is also a Fellow in the American College of Commercial Finance Attorneys, the American Alumnae Chapter and Executive Office. AnneMarie brings an abundance of enthusiasm
College of Real Estate Lawyers and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, as well as and skill in leadership, fundraising and event planning to Sacred Heart.
a Proctor Member of the Maritime Law Association. He is a frequent speaker at many of
the meetings of these professional groups.
A native of Gonzales, LA, Neal attended Louisiana State University, earning both a
bachelor’s degree and a law degree. He was a member of the Louisiana Law Review and
graduated Order of the Coif from LSU’s Law School. He has lived in New Orleans since
1993. Neal and his wife, Suzanne, have two children—Madeline, a sophomore at Sacred JENNA RAE VERCILLO
Heart, and John, a senior at Jesuit High School. Upper School Dean of Students
Neal and Suzanne are members of St. Dominic Parish and have both been active volunteers Jenna Rae Vercillo joined Sacred Heart as Upper School Dean of Students at the
in the community. Neal served on the Stuart Hall Board of Trustees, including a term beginning of the school year. She served as the Assistant Director of Student Conduct
as Board Chair. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Spirit of Charity at Tulane University for the past three and half years. Prior to her time at Tulane, Jenna
Foundation. Suzanne served as Co-President of the Sacred Heart Mothers’ Club, and was the Assistant Director of Student Leadership at Loyola University New Orleans.
together they served as members of the St. Dominic Parish Family Advisory Council. In his Jenna has experience with numerous leadership initiatives including the StrengthsQuest
free time, Neal enjoys golf, fishing, traveling and cooking. Program at multiple institutions, as well as the Cardoner Leadership Program and
Emerging Leaders Program at Loyola University. Jenna graduated from Creighton
University and then earned a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration,
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Virginia Tech.
OCTAVIO MANTILLA
Trustee
Octavio Mantilla was born in Nicaragua and moved to New Orleans as a child. At sixteen,
he got his first job in a restaurant and has worked his way through all the managerial levels.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and an MBA from the University
of New Orleans. Octavio helped open Harrah’s Casino & Hotel in New Orleans and then
worked in St. Louis as Harrah’s Director of Food Operations. He has opened numerous fine A FOND FAREWELL: Retiring Trustee Recognized
dining restaurants for Harrah’s nationwide. We recognize Michael Q. Walshe, Jr. for his efforts in supporting the Rosary.
Octavio returned to New Orleans to be reunited with his old friend Chef John Besh at Besh
Steakhouse at Harrah’s. Octavio joined John as a partner in the Besh Restaurant Group,
combining his vast experience in restaurant operations with a passion for customer service.
Since becoming John’s partner, the Besh Restaurant Group has expanded to include La
Provence, Lüke New Orleans, Domenica, Lüke San Antonio, Borgne, Pizza Domenica,
Johnny Sánchez Baltimore, Johnny Sánchez New Orleans, Shaya, Willa Jean and a newly
acquired private events venue, Pigeon & Prince.
In 2015, Octavio and Chef Besh established Our House Hospitality, the hotel food and
beverage management arm of the Besh Restaurant Group. Our House Hospitality is
responsible for the revitalization of the historic Pontchartrain Hotel which houses four
food & beverage outlets including Silver Whistle Café, Hot Tin, Bayou Bar and the
Caribbean Room.
24 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 THE BRIDGE | WINTER 2017 25You can also read
